Microsoft has revealed some planned improvements to the next generation of Windows Media Technologies, its software and technology for creating, hosting, streaming, and playing digital audio and video. Code-named Corona, the next version of Windows Media Technologies will offer quicker and more reliable streams, the ability to insert content midstream, and a more flexible programming model. Most of the improvements were announced to coincide with the third beta of Windows .NET Server and are designed to appeal to Internet-based content distributors or corporations that use streaming media internally. Microsoft also announced improvements to the codecs used in creating Windows Media files, and new support from manufacturers of DVD players and car stereos.

Improvements in Windows .NET Server

All of the products associated with Windows Media Technologies— including the SDK, encoder, player, and hosting software—are free, a strategy that Microsoft hopes will encourage content producers to favor Microsoft’s Windows Media Format (WMF) over competitors, such as MPEG and RealNetworks’ formats. (For a detailed discussion of this strategy, see "Windows XP Gives New Push to Windows Media Format" on page 10 of the July 2001 Update.)

Although the term Corona applies to the entire next generation of Windows Media Technologies, most of the improvements announced so far apply to the hosting software (Windows Media Services) and will be bundled with Windows .NET Server.

Fast Stream Improves Speed, Reliability

Windows .NET includes Fast Stream, a technology that Microsoft says will offer faster, more reliable streaming for Windows XP users with a fast network connection. These improvements are essential for new commercial applications of Windows Media.

Fast Stream takes advantage of high-speed connections to increase the efficiency of "buffering." Buffering caches the streaming file on the client side before playback begins; the client application then plays the stream from the cache, reducing the interruptions that inevitably occur when data travels over an unreliable network, such as the Internet.

Current buffering technology fills the cache at predetermined rates, based on the user's connection speed. For users with a Windows XP or later client, Windows .NET Server will be able to push these bits at the maximum rate allowed by the user's connection at any given time.

Microsoft claims this will create some noticeable improvements for users with a high-speed connection and the Windows XP Media Player. These users will notice that Windows .NET-based files begin playing within a half second or so of being selected, rather than five seconds or so required by the current technology. Users with the next version of the Windows Media Player (also available in 2002) will be able to take further advantage of Fast Stream with a user-adjustable cache, reducing the likelihood of interruptions. (A Microsoft demonstration of this feature suggested that a user could completely lose his network connection, and the video stream would continue to play smoothly for up to 30 seconds.)

Fast Stream will be most important for delivering commercial audio and video over the Internet. Users are unlikely to pay for services, such as the video-on-demand service provided by Microsoft partner Intertainer, unless the experience is at least as good as watching pay-per-view programming over a cable TV network: the video should start as soon as the user selects it and should play without interruptions or jerkiness.

Greater Flexibility

Other server-side improvements in Corona are designed to give organizations more flexibility in what they can do with Windows Media.

Windows .NET Server will introduce dynamic server-side playlists, allowing organizations to add new content into a stream (e.g., requested songs or videos, special announcements) after it has already started to play. Server-side playlists will help advertising-supported businesses insert commercial messages in prepared content, and time them to coincide with a peak in viewers or an advertiser’s schedule.

Corona will also make Windows Media easier to manage. For example, the server plug-in API has been expanded to make it easier for developers to create companion applications for functions such as targeted advertising or caching. Also, a new object model lets developers script management operations in languages like Visual Basic. This is particularly useful in corporate environments, which are more likely to have developers who are skilled in scripting.

New Codecs Promised

Microsoft also announced that the next version of the Windows Media Encoder would include better codecs (algorithms which compress and decompress audio and video). One set of codecs will offer approximately 20% greater compression at the same level of quality as today's codecs, enabling content distributors to save money on disk space and bandwidth.

New professional-level codecs will offer 5.1 surround sound (which includes six audio channels for five regular speakers plus a bass speaker) and high-definition (720 x 1280) video for downloaded files. This could make online video download services competitive with standard DVDs, especially as new players emerge that can play WMF files from recordable discs.

Availability

Windows .NET Server, including the Corona version of Windows Media Services, is in its third beta version and will be released in the first half of 2002. The Corona version of the Windows Media Player, Encoder, and SDK are expected separately some time in 2002 and will reportedly include other improvements that Microsoft has not yet announced.

Several consumer electronics companies have also announced support for the WMF. Apex, Panasonic, Toshiba, and China's Shinco will introduce DVD players that can play WMF audio files on recordable CDs and WMF video files on recordable DVDs; Aiwa, Blaupunkt, Kenwood, and Pioneer will introduce car stereos that can play CD-based WMF audio files.

Resources

The Windows Media Technologies home page is www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/.

More information about Windows Media Services in Windows .NET Server is at www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/services/net/.